This is the promise of FIU’s new block enrollment program being offered for the Spring 2014 semester. The program is being rolled out in January for freshmen in four majors: international business, management, psychology, and hospitality and tourism management. In coming semesters, more majors may be added.

Registration for block enrollment is now open. To participate, students must contact the block enrollment advisors listed under Contact Us here.

For years, FIU students have complained that they are unable to get the classes they need to graduate on time. In a recent survey by Academic Affairs, 62 percent of 8,200 upperclass undergraduates indicated that the No. 1 obstacle to graduation is the difficulty of securing seats in required classes.

Block enrollment was designed as a pilot program to try to respond to that problem, says Vice Provost Elizabeth Bejar. Students in the program are guaranteed a seat in the classes they need and their courses are preloaded every semester.

“We are making class registration as easy as possible in the block program,” she said. “Once you sign, up we have mapped out your schedule for the next four years and we’ll take care of registering you every semester. The program is a direct path to graduation in four years.”

Block classes are offered in a set schedule from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, every semester. The set class schedule allows students to more easily organize their work schedule, study time and extracurricular activities. The program does require students to attend during the summer. All of the classes in Spring 2014, even for hospitality, are at the Modesto Maidique Campus.

Each block provides students with 12-15 credits of classes; however, there is no minimum required number of credits to participate in the block program. Students are free to opt out of one of the block classes if, for instance, they have already taken the class. Along with required classes, each block includes any suggested elective requirements. Students are free to swap out the elective for a different one if they want; however, those swaps may not be guaranteed with the block time schedule.

“We are being as flexible as possible as we introduce the block program,” she said. “The goal is to be as responsive to our students and to ensure that as an institution we minimize administrative barriers to student success and graduation.”

Block classes for Spring 2014 are comprised of the classes a second-semester freshman in each major would likely be taking. They include:

Hospitality and tourism management:

ECO 2023 Principles of Microeconomics

ENC 1102 Writing and Rhetoric II

HFT 2441 Hospitality Information Tehnology

SYG 2000 or REL 3308 Elective Intro to Sociology or Studies in World Religion

Will majors like mathematics have block enrollment in the future? Many people in other departments have trouble graduating in four years due to the scheduling as well. A lot of times people have to work when a course is being offered and they only have one chance in the whole academic year to take it ( some courses are offered only once a year) and often times they choose work over taking that one class. In a case like that , a person’s graduation date can easily be delayed by one year.